NuAxiSemiconductor trade intelligence

PC's with 64GB of RAM plummet 18% as memory prices soar

What happened

Tom's Hardware reported on 8 November 2026 that the latest CPU-Z hardware survey shows the first-ever year-over-year decline in PC RAM capacity: 64GB configurations plummeted 18% and 32GB configurations fell 2.5% year on year (data released by the CPU-Z developer on 6 November 2026). Meanwhile, 16GB configurations rebounded by 12.9%, 8GB configurations grew 5.5%, and 24GB configurations increased 19.7% as a compromise for consumers needing more than 16GB without paying for premium 32GB kits. On memory types, DDR4 remains dominant at a 54.5% share with 6% growth, while DDR5 holds 32.9% with a 2.9% decline. The source attributes this to the AI rush gobbling up the global DRAM supply, which has driven DDR4 and DDR5 prices through the roof, forcing consumers to reconsider the cost-benefit of larger capacities and opt for more affordable kits. CPU-Z processor charts show significant Zen 3 increases, with Ryzen 7 5700X, Ryzen 5 5600 and Ryzen 5 5500 up 42.8%, 36.1% and 67.3% respectively; supporting developments include AMD rereleasing the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, vendors restarting DDR4 and DDR4 motherboard production, and Intel preparing rewarmed Raptor Lake Next chips for 2027. Note that CPU-Z only tracks systems where it is installed, so the data represents its active user base and is not retail sales figures in any sense.